tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11346222Fri, 26 Dec 2014 22:31:30 +0000alaanaheimquiddlev., intr.: to discourse in a trifling way; to trifle, waste time (with).http://quiddle.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.com (Heidi Dolamore)Blogger102125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11346222.post-7602782976886343319Wed, 14 Jan 2009 03:11:00 +00002009-01-13T19:13:20.518-08:00My library is where all the awesome lives.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_4XM6Baw1E3o/SW1YIlu--KI/AAAAAAAAAF0/Cfc5s0mRCOU/s1600-h/non+fiction+002.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_4XM6Baw1E3o/SW1YIlu--KI/AAAAAAAAAF0/Cfc5s0mRCOU/s400/non+fiction+002.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5290982041821575330" /></a>http://quiddle.blogspot.com/2009/01/my-library-is-where-all-awesome-lives.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Heidi Dolamore)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11346222.post-4032581879884148190Mon, 01 Sep 2008 16:17:00 +00002008-09-01T09:25:22.284-07:00Sundays!Starting this month, <a href="http://www.contracostatimes.com/brentwood/ci_10216938">my library will be open on Sundays!</a> Super exciting, there's such a demand for it. The <a href="http://www.oclc.org/reports/funding/default.htm">OCLC report on library funding</a> was extremely helpful in preparing my presentation to City Council.http://quiddle.blogspot.com/2008/09/sundays.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Heidi Dolamore)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11346222.post-5718294029206880557Tue, 24 Jun 2008 03:07:00 +00002008-06-23T20:21:53.666-07:00alaanaheimALA AnaheimHiya. Hope i'll see you there.<br /><br />Friday Jun 27<br />13:30 - oclc symposium at marriott ballroom 1-5<br /><br />Saturday Jun 28 <br />09:00 - elections task force at HIL laguna A<br />11:00 - coffee with k<br />15:30 - membership meeting at ballroom b/c<br />17:30 - LJ reception for s at tortilla jo's, 1510 Disneyland Drive<br /><br />Sunday Jun 29<br />07:00 - brekkie with f<br />08:00 - council video at cc ballroom b/c <br />09:00 - council at ballroom b/c <br />13:00 - planning & budget assembly at CC 201 c <br />17:30 - president's reception at CC arena plaza <br />17:30 - blog salon at hilton palisades <br />19:30 - nmrt social at hyatt grand A<br /><br />Monday Jun 30<br />10:15 - council at ballroom b/c <br />11:30 - membership meeting at ballroom b/c <br />13:30 - exec board at hilton laguna a <br />20:00 - council forum at hilton malibu <br /><br />Tuesday Jul 1<br />09:15 - council at ballroom b/c <br />16:30 - council forum at hilton malibu <br /><br />Wednesday Jul 2 <br />08:00 - council at ballroom b/chttp://quiddle.blogspot.com/2008/06/ala-anaheim.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Heidi Dolamore)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11346222.post-6853873868730337106Fri, 30 May 2008 18:10:00 +00002008-05-30T11:51:03.992-07:00Read, ride, and go.Yesterday, I woke up at 4:30am and caught a BART train all the way to the end of the line. <a href="http://ccclib.org/">My library</a> unveiled something that is kind of a big deal, a <a href="http://www.contracostatimes.com/search/ci_9417981?IADID">book vending machine</a>.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://bp2.blogger.com/_4XM6Baw1E3o/SEBDTWbPFlI/AAAAAAAAAEA/par3H7IOegc/s1600-h/bart+heidi.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://bp2.blogger.com/_4XM6Baw1E3o/SEBDTWbPFlI/AAAAAAAAAEA/par3H7IOegc/s400/bart+heidi.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5206235168956683858" border="0" /></a><br /><br />It felt a little bit like a human game of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_Invaders">Space Invaders</a> as I tried to give everybody a bookmark. People arrived in waves as a buses dropped folks off at the station, and almost everyone willingly took a bookmark, even the ones running to catch a train. A little surprising, since I probably wouldn't have taken one if I had offered me a bookmark. Even more surprising was hearing people say, "Oh, I saw it on TV," or, "I heard about it on the radio this morning." <br /><br />It was amazing and entirely unremarkable at the same time. Amazing because I know about all the hard work that has gone on behind the scenes. Unremarkable because, sitting there right next to an automated ticket vending machine, our little (well, actually, rather big) book machine seemed totally integrated into the way people live their lives today. Which is exactly where the library should be, right?http://quiddle.blogspot.com/2008/05/read-ride-and-go.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Heidi Dolamore)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11346222.post-6097476653533821457Sat, 01 Mar 2008 04:26:00 +00002008-02-29T20:39:03.614-08:00I can't possibly embarrass Steve more......than I already did by nominating him for <em>Library Journal</em>'s Paraprofessional of the Year award. Oh, and guess what? <a href="http://www.libraryjournal.com/article/CA6533025.html">HE WON.</a><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://bp3.blogger.com/_4XM6Baw1E3o/R8jcACIJBMI/AAAAAAAAAD4/ptKfvHfAnGU/s1600-h/LJ3108cover.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://bp3.blogger.com/_4XM6Baw1E3o/R8jcACIJBMI/AAAAAAAAAD4/ptKfvHfAnGU/s400/LJ3108cover.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5172626065164141762" /></a><br /><br /><br />The best part is, when LJ called him to offer congratulations and announce that he won, he was too busy <em>doing his job</em> to take the call. Poor John Berry had to call three times before he could get through to Steve.<br /><br />He's the first guy to win, and at a wee 30 years old, definitely the youngest. Rock on.<br /><br />After I found out (and after the squealing and jumping up and down and running in circles), I totally blew the "keep it under your hat" nudge from LJ and told almost everyone I know. For the non-library folks, it mostly translated into a text message that referred to a "big deal dorkalicious nat'l library award."<br /><br />You should go get your hands on a hard copy of the magazine. The cover is awesome, but I especially like his smiling face in the picture that goes with the article. My only complaint is that the article is too short. I wanted more Steve stories! I had to make do with reading the same two pages about a dozen times.<br /><br />Here's a little excerpt from the 365 words that got the whole mess started:<br /><br /><blockquote>It is in the small details that Steve truly demonstrates his delight in the role that the library plays in people’s lives. He is a constant source of encouraging words and fun ideas...Steve sees the best in other people, and he employs this same sense of visionary optimism in his approach to libraries. He inspired me during the time we worked together, and he continues to challenge me to make my own dreams of an extraordinary library into a reality.</blockquote><br /><br />Now, I knew from the start that Steve would win. He's just that fabulous. But a little premeditated persuasion couldn't hurt. When I wrote the nomination, I spent a lot of time thinking about the people that would be reading it and choosing the winner. I knew that, in the end, they'd have to write an article about the winner. So I didn't just tout Steve's accomplishments and sing his praises, I served them up a good story. I'd been planning to nominate him for about a year, so I saved it up until he turned 30 because it has a nice ring to it. I talked about his mom, who also works as a paraprofessional (at the same library!), and I gave one small, understated example of his day-to-day work. I threw in a nice atmospheric comment about the library where he works. I talked a bit about Steve the person, not just Steve the library employee. And I didn't even come close to using the full 500 word allotment. <br /><br />So, Steve, you've just won LJ's Paraprofessional of the Year award. What are you going to do next?<br /><br />Well, since the conference and award ceremony are in Anaheim, there's really only one answer. We're gonna go to Disneyland.http://quiddle.blogspot.com/2008/02/i-cant-possibly-embarrass-steve-more.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Heidi Dolamore)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11346222.post-2332845713703244619Sat, 15 Sep 2007 02:48:00 +00002007-09-14T19:59:34.533-07:00The first rule of book club is you do not talk about book club.Yesterday I led a couple of book groups at the county juvenile detention facility. The participants were all girls in their teens. The first group was in a lock down unit, meaning the girls are locked in their rooms unless they are participating in a scheduled activity. It took quite a while just to enter the building. There wasn't a guard stationed at the front door, so we had to ring a buzzer and wait for someone to come down and collect us. Next was a metal detector, which felt a little bit like airport security. I took off my studded belt and keys, but got to walk through with my shoes on. The other librarian and I stood in the waiting room for a bit until someone from the girls unit came to collect us.<br /><br />The facility is brand new, with fresh paint everywhere and a beautiful atrium planted with native grasses. It hasn't been open long enough for dust to have settled in the corners; if it weren't for all of the locked doors, you could almost imagine it was a high school or a college dorm. It took a while to reach the girls. There were lots of hallways that all looked exactly the same, and every 20 feet or so we had to press a button and wait for some unseen guard to buzz us through a door. <br /><br />I facilitated an adult book group a few years ago, but this is my first with teens. The group was small, just five girls. Book group is at the same time as AA, so we don't get all the girls on the unit. We walked in and right away two or three of them said, "I didn't like the book."<br /><br />I was okay with that. When I think back to some of the books that I was forced to read in school, I disliked most of them on principle. The fact that they didn't like it meant that they had actually read it, and that they had strong opinions about it. I can work with that.<br /><br />We started with introductions, then we spent about 30 minutes or so talking about the book -- the graphic novel/comic book <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Persepolis-Story-Childhood-Alex-Awards/dp/0375422307"><i>Persepolis</i> by Marjane Satrapi</a>. I owned up to choosing the book and told them they could blame me if they didn't like it. I explained why I like the book: I like to learn about different cultures and different countries. I don't know a whole lot about Iran, and I thought this would be a good way to learn something. It's a novel about growing up, and I like learning about the experiences that make someone who they are. I like that she shares a bunch of really difficult experiences without becoming maudlin. (Okay, so I didn't say maudlin. I said, "without becoming all boo-hoo-woe-is-me.")<br /><br />They thought the book was confusing, they didn't understand all of the stuff about the Shah and her grandfather being a prince. And why the teachers taught them one thing before the revolution and something else after. I pointed out that Marji is ten when the book begins and asked them if they thought she would have understood everything going on when she was so young. They got it right away, and I could see their opinion of the book starting to shift. They were critical of the teachers because they lied to the students. I reminded them that Marji's parents didn't always tell her the truth, either. How was that different? All in all it was a great discussion. <br /><br />The second group was bigger, about 15 or 16 girls. This group was referred to as "the camp," and the girls aren't locked in their rooms. I photocopied pages of the book with the dialog blocked out and had the girls fill in the text. Lots of creative stuff from the girls...some of it funny, some of it banal, some of it quite serious, though when it came time to share, even the serious stuff was read aloud through a veneer of giggles.<br /><br />Later that night I went to a screening of <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0101700/"><i>Delicatessen</i></a> in a park near my apartment. An appropriately surreal sequel to the first half of my evening. <br /><br />I'm looking forward to hearing what they have to say next week.http://quiddle.blogspot.com/2007/09/first-rule-of-book-club-is-you-do-not.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Heidi Dolamore)3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11346222.post-3724355727136625312Sat, 21 Jul 2007 23:38:00 +00002007-07-21T16:47:49.521-07:00The other PotterJust helped someone find a book. "I'm looking for...Potter."<br /><br />"You're looking for Harry Potter?"<br /><br />"No."<br /><br />I stare in stunned silence for a moment. There's another Potter? <a href="http://www.jkrowling.com/textonly/en/news_view.cfm?id=97">Today</a> of all days?<br /><br />"Oh, do you mean Beatrix Potter?"<br /><br />A look of delight registers in their eyes. "Yes! That's it."<br /><br />Huh. Guess they're probably not impressed with my <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Broomsticks_in_Harry_Potter#Nimbus_2000">Nimbus 2000</a> t-shirt.http://quiddle.blogspot.com/2007/07/other-potter.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Heidi Dolamore)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11346222.post-4182763440008064976Thu, 14 Jun 2007 19:37:00 +00002007-06-14T12:39:13.682-07:00Yongsan Library, SeoulWelcome to the next installment of <i>Libraries spotted while on vacation in faraway countries</i>. (Actually, I will admit to a thoroughly premeditated visit. Library was on the "to see" list right between palace and mega-mall.) You may remember our abbreviated tour of the <a href="http://quiddle.blogspot.com/2006/02/you-know-youre-big-library-dork-when.html" com="" 2006="" 02="" html="">Quepos library</a>. Well, this one is much more gratifying to the library voyeur...I visited when the library was open! Our story begins in Seoul, Korea, home of the ubiquitous free internet. Really. In subway stations, post offices, and of course, the Apple store. You can see more of my vacation <a href="http://flickr.com/photos/59306945@N00/sets/72157600290064238/">here</a>.<br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://bp1.blogger.com/_4XM6Baw1E3o/RlxlfcjKHMI/AAAAAAAAACc/OMA39aj1QwU/s1600-h/1yongsan+library+sign.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://bp1.blogger.com/_4XM6Baw1E3o/RlxlfcjKHMI/AAAAAAAAACc/OMA39aj1QwU/s320/1yongsan+library+sign.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5070038871426342082" border="0"></a>I was actually aiming for the <a href="http://www.namsanlib.or.kr/">Namsan library</a>, but that one was closed.<br /></div><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://bp1.blogger.com/_4XM6Baw1E3o/RnFz4yBnCcI/AAAAAAAAADE/qqyf2JbBhxo/s1600-h/IMG_0872.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://bp1.blogger.com/_4XM6Baw1E3o/RnFz4yBnCcI/AAAAAAAAADE/qqyf2JbBhxo/s320/IMG_0872.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5075965674361653698" border="0"></a>Lookie, a book drop!<br /></div><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://bp0.blogger.com/_4XM6Baw1E3o/RlxlWMjKHKI/AAAAAAAAACM/2utfCxKzwYo/s1600-h/2view+from+library.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://bp0.blogger.com/_4XM6Baw1E3o/RlxlWMjKHKI/AAAAAAAAACM/2utfCxKzwYo/s320/2view+from+library.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5070038712512552098" border="0"></a>The library was up a rather big hill.<br /></div><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://bp3.blogger.com/_4XM6Baw1E3o/Rlxkz8jKHDI/AAAAAAAAABU/oyUST_Wq90g/s1600-h/9entrance+to+kids.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://bp3.blogger.com/_4XM6Baw1E3o/Rlxkz8jKHDI/AAAAAAAAABU/oyUST_Wq90g/s320/9entrance+to+kids.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5070038124102032434" border="0"></a>When you walk in the door, it's just hallways and stairs. I wandered around for a bit thinking, where are the books?<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://bp0.blogger.com/_4XM6Baw1E3o/RlxlNMjKHII/AAAAAAAAAB8/ffDr190aMYY/s1600-h/4stacks.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://bp0.blogger.com/_4XM6Baw1E3o/RlxlNMjKHII/AAAAAAAAAB8/ffDr190aMYY/s320/4stacks.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5070038557893729410" border="0"></a>Ahh, finally. Looks like a library, quacks like a library.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://bp1.blogger.com/_4XM6Baw1E3o/RlxlIcjKHHI/AAAAAAAAAB0/5TIBjh3A5Xs/s1600-h/5books.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://bp1.blogger.com/_4XM6Baw1E3o/RlxlIcjKHHI/AAAAAAAAAB0/5TIBjh3A5Xs/s320/5books.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5070038476289350770" border="0"></a>I got really excited for a minute, I thought they were using Dewey! Then I came to my senses and realized it was some other decimal system. Amazing how your brain will jump at the prospect of anything familar when you're surrounded by so much that is foreign.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://bp2.blogger.com/_4XM6Baw1E3o/RlxlRsjKHJI/AAAAAAAAACE/qDi1JLR-12k/s1600-h/3opac.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://bp2.blogger.com/_4XM6Baw1E3o/RlxlRsjKHJI/AAAAAAAAACE/qDi1JLR-12k/s320/3opac.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5070038635203140754" border="0"></a>My guess would be an OPAC. But then again, I thought the little <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/59306945@N00/548518120/in/set-72157600290064238/">rice snack</a> with a picture of bean sprouts on the package would be vegetarian...<br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://bp2.blogger.com/_4XM6Baw1E3o/Rlxk-sjKHFI/AAAAAAAAABk/nVT7GgnvctQ/s1600-h/7periodicals.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://bp2.blogger.com/_4XM6Baw1E3o/Rlxk-sjKHFI/AAAAAAAAABk/nVT7GgnvctQ/s320/7periodicals.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5070038308785626194" border="0"></a> The place was filled with people hanging out, reading, studying. You had to put your bag in a locker before you could enter each section.<br /><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://bp2.blogger.com/_4XM6Baw1E3o/Rlxk5sjKHEI/AAAAAAAAABc/ypaIZXrPLio/s1600-h/8librarian.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://bp2.blogger.com/_4XM6Baw1E3o/Rlxk5sjKHEI/AAAAAAAAABc/ypaIZXrPLio/s320/8librarian.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5070038222886280258" border="0"></a>I must have looked awfully suspicious skulking around and taking photos. Eventually, I went up to the circ desk and gave them my business card. I pointed to myself and said, "Librarian!" Much smiling and head-nodding ensued.<br /></div><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://bp3.blogger.com/_4XM6Baw1E3o/Rlxku8jKHCI/AAAAAAAAABM/fwfZ_9_JmsI/s1600-h/10shhh%21.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://bp3.blogger.com/_4XM6Baw1E3o/Rlxku8jKHCI/AAAAAAAAABM/fwfZ_9_JmsI/s320/10shhh%21.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5070038038202686498" border="0"></a>Shhhhh!<br /><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://bp0.blogger.com/_4XM6Baw1E3o/RlxkmMjKHBI/AAAAAAAAABE/7tTYcHKIbF4/s1600-h/11storytime.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://bp0.blogger.com/_4XM6Baw1E3o/RlxkmMjKHBI/AAAAAAAAABE/7tTYcHKIbF4/s320/11storytime.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5070037887878831122" border="0"></a>Storytime<br /><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://bp1.blogger.com/_4XM6Baw1E3o/RlxkicjKHAI/AAAAAAAAAA8/evEWmp6Z7d4/s1600-h/12comics.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://bp1.blogger.com/_4XM6Baw1E3o/RlxkicjKHAI/AAAAAAAAAA8/evEWmp6Z7d4/s320/12comics.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5070037823454321666" border="0"></a>Their comic books get a fair bit of use, too.<br /><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://bp3.blogger.com/_4XM6Baw1E3o/RlxkU8jKG_I/AAAAAAAAAA0/SGALe_ocOlg/s1600-h/13harry.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://bp3.blogger.com/_4XM6Baw1E3o/RlxkU8jKG_I/AAAAAAAAAA0/SGALe_ocOlg/s320/13harry.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5070037591526087666" border="0"></a>Wait a sec, I recognize those...<br /><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://bp2.blogger.com/_4XM6Baw1E3o/RlxkPsjKG-I/AAAAAAAAAAs/FpNb0GGytac/s1600-h/14potter.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://bp2.blogger.com/_4XM6Baw1E3o/RlxkPsjKG-I/AAAAAAAAAAs/FpNb0GGytac/s320/14potter.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5070037501331774434" border="0"></a>http://quiddle.blogspot.com/2007/06/yongsan-library-seoul.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Heidi Dolamore)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11346222.post-8990034652568291902Thu, 31 May 2007 02:22:00 +00002007-05-30T19:24:17.789-07:00I know my hair is getting longer...<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://bp2.blogger.com/_4XM6Baw1E3o/Rl4xjMjKHOI/AAAAAAAAACs/nLfbYYeqJOo/s1600-h/heidi2.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://bp2.blogger.com/_4XM6Baw1E3o/Rl4xjMjKHOI/AAAAAAAAACs/nLfbYYeqJOo/s320/heidi2.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5070544711199628514" /></a><br />but do I really need a haircut that much?http://quiddle.blogspot.com/2007/05/i-know-my-hair-is-getting-longer.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Heidi Dolamore)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11346222.post-4085455242114995233Wed, 28 Mar 2007 05:00:00 +00002007-03-27T22:19:59.918-07:00Just your average Tuesday night at the liberry...<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://bp0.blogger.com/_4XM6Baw1E3o/Rgn6Dx1-nBI/AAAAAAAAAAc/cwh70oe353Q/s1600-h/032707_19062.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://bp0.blogger.com/_4XM6Baw1E3o/Rgn6Dx1-nBI/AAAAAAAAAAc/cwh70oe353Q/s320/032707_19062.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5046839800271641618" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://bp1.blogger.com/_4XM6Baw1E3o/Rgn6AB1-nAI/AAAAAAAAAAU/gyouNMoW4eM/s1600-h/032707_18551.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://bp1.blogger.com/_4XM6Baw1E3o/Rgn6AB1-nAI/AAAAAAAAAAU/gyouNMoW4eM/s320/032707_18551.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5046839735847132162" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://bp1.blogger.com/_4XM6Baw1E3o/Rgn56B1-m_I/AAAAAAAAAAM/ofIttz_K4X4/s1600-h/032707_19533.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://bp1.blogger.com/_4XM6Baw1E3o/Rgn56B1-m_I/AAAAAAAAAAM/ofIttz_K4X4/s320/032707_19533.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5046839632767917042" /></a><br /><a href="http://treefrogtreks.com/">These guys</a> were very cool. Sorry the pictures are a bit fuzzy, it's hard to hold a camera phone still when you've got 200 kids, a turtle, a tortoise, a gecko, an iguana, a 14 foot python, and a few cockroaches running around the library.http://quiddle.blogspot.com/2007/03/just-your-average-tuesday-night-at.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Heidi Dolamore)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11346222.post-8487640610960135800Wed, 21 Mar 2007 00:50:00 +00002007-03-20T16:56:13.207-07:00Pirate memory gameSometimes the ref desk feels <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Qr4HOdFVps">a little like this...</a>http://quiddle.blogspot.com/2007/03/pirate-memory-game.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Heidi Dolamore)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11346222.post-1822853303049718590Thu, 08 Mar 2007 03:57:00 +00002007-03-07T20:06:51.833-08:00My expense report is cooler than your expense report.I love it that my expense reports include things like stickers and bubbles. But today was the coolest one yet...a <a href="http://wii.com/">Wii</a>. Better yet is that I rode to the video game store on my bike to pick it up.http://quiddle.blogspot.com/2007/03/my-expense-report-is-cooler-than-your.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Heidi Dolamore)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11346222.post-2031699458963452180Thu, 22 Feb 2007 20:23:00 +00002007-02-22T12:42:25.572-08:00Council so far (or, notes on Midwinter in which I attempt to make Council sound really, really interesting)One of my responsibilities as a Councilor is to report back to my constituency. As an at large member of Council, my constituency is, well, everybody. Actually, this gives me a great deal of freedom to vote my conscience and act however I see fit. Since I am accountable to everybody, I am beholden to no one in particular (thus the tardiness of this report). This puts me in a very different position from say, a division or state chapter Councilor who may be obliged to vote the party line. Some of these folks will send a hasty email to the state association listserv during Council sessions to gauge the pulse of their constituents on a particular issue. I took the approach of sending a text message to all of the library-types in my cell phone contacts, a rather motley crew of friends and conference acquaintances. (Who knows what questions and controversy will face us in DC...if you'd like to sign up for my "live from the Council floor cell phone survey" for annual, just <a href="mailto:heidi%20dot%20dolamore%20at%20gmail%20dot%20com">drop me a line</a> with your cell phone number. And thanks to the folks I pestered for your input during this go-round.)<br /><br />Most of the votes that come before Council pass with an overwhelming majority. There's lots of stuff we approve to keep the cogs of ALA greased and moving forward, like revisions to the ALA policy manual in support of more inclusive language on the topic of diversity. And sometimes, just because something passes easily doesn't mean there wasn't a whole lot of stuff going on behind the scenes. It's fun to watch the political dance. Although a number of people stood up to express concerns about the resolution on a <a href="http://www.ala.org/ala/ourassociation/governanceb/council/councildocuments/EndoresementMinimumSalary.doc">non-binding minimum salary for professional librarians</a>, nobody voted against it.<br /><br />Council kind of reminds me of jury duty. Some people try to avoid it, and most people don't know what really goes on. You're thrown into a room with a bunch of people you don't know and expected to reach decisions about important stuff. And in both cases, I walked away impressed by how seriously everybody took their responsibilities, not to mention a much better understanding of how things work.<br /><br />Take for instance, some proposed revisions to ALA bylaws and policies regarding elections. Somebody noticed that there was a contradiction in the rule book: on the one hand, "All personal members of the ALA shall be eligible for nomination to Council..." but "No member of the Election Committee may stand for election on the ALA ballot..." Basically, that second bit is null and void anyhow, so we voted to strike it. But then again, we want to avoid any suggestion of impropriety, so there were some proposed changes to the policy on elections. Surprisingly (at least to me), there was quite a bit of debate. Folks were really, really concerned about any potential limitations to someone's ability to stand as a candidate for an elected office. It's almost funny in light of our <a href="http://plablog.org/2007/01/ala-council.html">earlier discussion about how Council is viewed</a> amongst the general membership. If you look at the <a href="http://www.ala.org/ala/ourassociation/governanceb/council/councilroster/allcouncilors.htm">Council roster</a>, it's a bit of a library director's club, and plenty of people feel that they don't have the experience or name recognition needed to participate. Yet here were those selfsame Councilors working to ensure that anyone, <em>anyone</em> has the opportunity to run for Council. Kinda makes you go, "aw, shucks," and want to give 'em all a great big hug.<br /><br />Then there's the juicy bits. At Midwinter, we had a resolution to end funding for the Iraq war, one in support of impeaching George Bush, and another one about the Boy Scouts.<br /><br />Let's start with the Boy Scouts. First, the facts: ALA sets forth very explicit <a href="http://www.ala.org/ala/ourassociation/governingdocs/policymanual/relationships.htm">guidelines</a> (scroll down to 9.5) regarding relationships with organizations that violate what ALA considers to be <a href="http://www.unhchr.ch/udhr/lang/eng.htm">basic human rights</a>. We don't allow them. The <a href="http://www.scouting.org/">Boy Scouts of America National Council</a> has some <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Contentious_issues_about_the_Boy_Scouts_of_America">opinions about religion and homosexuality</a> that don't measure up to ALA standards. Therefore, q.e.d., plain and simple, we shouldn't have formal relationships with the Boy Scouts of America National Council. In fact, Council already <a href="http://www.ala.org/ala/ourassociation/governanceb/council/councilactions/1999mwas.htm">addressed</a> <a href="http://www.libraryjournal.com/article/CA158506.html">this issue</a> back in 1999. The question that remains is, does ALA still have formal relationships with the Boy Scouts of America National Council? (I've been particular about writing out the entire name of the BSA National Council, because it's really the National Council policies that we're taking issue with, not individual scouts or troops.) Until recently, the ALSC (Association for Library Service to Children) <a href="http://www.ala.org/ala/alsc/alscresources/youthorgs/organizations.htm">website listed a liaison</a> to the Boy Scouts. The listing has since been removed, so this is now a bit of a moot point, but anyhow...although ALSC considers these liaisons to constitute <em>informal</em> relationships, there was some discussion about the public perception of such liaisons and whether the Boy Scouts should still get one. Again, we're not talking about stopping a local library from working with a local troop, we're talking about relationships on the national level. In the end, we referred the resolution back to committee. I think ALSC felt a little put out at not being consulted before the resolution was presented to Council, and the resulting hubbub had more to do with procedure than opinions about Boy Scout policies per se. Once again, I was forced to acknowledge that ALA is a <a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6e/Nf_knots.png">behemoth</a> and the quick and straightforward approach to solving something is not always an option.<br /><br />As for the Iraq war resolution...there was much debate over whether this resolution reflected the goals and mission of ALA.<br /><blockquote>(This is where the <a href="http://blogs.ala.org/yalsa.php?title=cell_phone_surveys_connect_us_to_ala_cou&more=1&amp;amp;c=1&tb=1&amp;pb=1">text messaging</a> came in. I summed up debate with the following question to my constituents:<br /><br />"war bad, but ALA's mission?"<br /><br />Here are some of the replies I received:<br /><br />"stick 2 resolutions against things that directly affect libs"<br />"ala involvement? its sort of token..."<br />"I don't like the war. How will the ALA resolution change things?"<br /><br />Instant feedback from my constituency. Neato, huh?)</blockquote><br />Although I am in agreement with the sentiment behind the Iraq war resolution, I had to agree with my cell phone buddies. Rather than vote no, I abstained. This one divided the house enough that we had to stand up and be counted (usually we just raise our hands and it's fairly obvious where the majority stands). 48 voted yes, 98 voted no. There were a number of us who abstained, but those votes didn't get tallied.<br /><br />Finally, there was the resolution declaring that George W. deserves impeachment. This was incredibly confusing simply in terms of procedure, so I can't promise I'll get it right. As we reached this topic on the agenda, some Councilors walked out in protest. By my count, we were actually within 15 or 20 people of losing quorum. Right away, someone raised a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Point_of_order">point of order</a> questioning whether or not the resolution was germane. Meaning, if the issue is outside the purview of Council, it doesn't really make sense for us to take action on the resolution. As ALA President, Leslie Burger presides over Council meetings, and rather than make that call herself, she turned it back to the assembly for a vote. I thought to myself, hey, that's a good point, and voted the issue not germane, along with the overwhelming majority of Council. Straightforward enough, right? Next agenda item, moving right along...<br /><br />That's when all hell broke loose.<br /><br />Okay, we're a bunch of librarians. So it wasn't total anarchy. Maybe just a wee bit of heck broke loose. Still, it was fun to watch.<br /><br />People were literally up in arms over the fact that we'd closed off debate. There were cries of censorship. One Councilor summed it up best by saying, "I didn't realize my vote would mean we wouldn't get a chance to debate the resolution. Let's talk about it first, and <em>then</em> I'll vote no."<br /><br />As I listened to the tumult, inside my head the penny dropped. These people value process. And by these people, I don't just mean Council. I mean library people. Hey, hold on...that includes me. It's not just about the decisions we make, it's about how we reach those conclusions. I think I still marvel at just how long it can take to reach a decision, but my appreciation for the process is slowly growing. And it made me smile, swell with pride even, to see all of those Councilors stand up and wave the banner of intellectual freedom and free speech (though I find it <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:DrawingHands.jpg">rather amusing</a> to see our policies on intellectual freedom and opposition to censorship invoked to accuse the very body that established those policies).<br /><br />I'll admit it. I actually do think Council is really, really interesting.http://quiddle.blogspot.com/2007/02/council-so-far-or-notes-on-midwinter-in.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Heidi Dolamore)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11346222.post-7960309358191698177Fri, 02 Feb 2007 20:43:00 +00002007-02-02T12:51:55.759-08:00Update your RSS feedI'm not sure whether this was a Bloglines hiccup or Blogger glitch, but today a bunch of posts from <a href="http://firstworldwarlit.blogspot.com">this blog</a> about WWI literature showed up in Bloglines under the atom feed for my blog. No, I didn't move to British Columbia to take up a job as an English professor at Simon Fraser University. (this is all especially weird because last year I lived quite close to SFU). There's another feed for my blog that didn't go haywire, you might want to update your feed subscription to <a href=" http://quiddle.blogspot.com/rss.xml">http://quiddle.blogspot.com/rss.xml</a>.http://quiddle.blogspot.com/2007/02/update-your-rss-feed.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Heidi Dolamore)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11346222.post-15614816459249733Thu, 18 Jan 2007 21:17:00 +00002007-01-18T15:23:17.751-08:00We are all part of the Reading Rainbowfrom <i>The Onion</i>: <a href="http://www.theonion.com/content/news/nations_gays_demand_right_to">Nation's Gays Demand Right To Library Cards</a><br /><blockquote>"No one's preventing gays from using libraries—they're fully welcome to walk into them, browse all they want, and sit down and flip through any book they choose, even in the reference section...But to issue them the same library cards as a regular American citizen would demean what our nation's library cards stand for."</blockquote>http://quiddle.blogspot.com/2007/01/we-are-all-part-of-reading-rainbow.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Heidi Dolamore)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11346222.post-8891920191957894416Sun, 14 Jan 2007 02:01:00 +00002007-01-13T19:10:49.529-08:00Seattle/MidwinterFirst things first. Here are the places I want to <b>eat</b> while I'm in Seattle:<br /><ul><li><a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz/UrTQ64I871opm4jxRdaa2Q">Glo's</a>. Brunch. Veeeery slow. Get the bennie.</li><br /><li><a href="http://www.thecollinspub.com/">Collin's Pub</a>. Tasty food, tasty beer. 2nd & Yesler.</li><br /><li><a href="http://www.pikeplacemarket.org">Pike's market</a>. There's a little Russian place I like in one of the alleys, all sorts of good bakeries, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baozi">humbao</a>, and tasty fish sandwiches in the market proper.</li><br /><li><a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz/wIqiCp6PoItMjsuH7pkyig">Cafe Bengodi/Denunzio's</a>. Italian. Yum.</li><br /><li>Maybe <a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz/KjVSTSEVSO9A-8JqqydmKg">Bonzai</a>, just for nostalgia. Sushi. Used to eat very hurried lunches here because it's close to the train station.</li></ul><br />Hopefully I'll have time to check out the new <a href="http://www.seattleartmuseum.org/Visit/OSP">Sculpture Park</a>, have dinner with my mom, and see Faye, Maria, Michael, Bryan, and Anna.<br /><br /><b>Public transit</b> from the airport is super easy. Catch the <a href="194">194</a>, it's an express. Even if the 174 comes first, wait for the 194. Make sure you get the one that says Downtown Seattle. $1.25 or $1.50, depening on whether it's <a href="http://transit.metrokc.gov/tops/bus/fare/fare-info.html#peak_zone">peak fare</a> or not, about 30 minutes, runs pretty often. The only tricky bit: riding toward downtown Seattle, pay when you get on the bus; riding away from downtown, pay when you leave. <a href="http://transit.metrokc.gov/tops/bus/ridefree.html">Downtown the bus is free.</a><br /><br /><b>WARNING</b>: Seattle streets make <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Street_layout_of_Seattle">no freakin' sense</a>. Back in the day, there were two guys who disagreed as to how the city should be laid out. They each went on their merry way, and eventually one of them died and the other one connected the grids. Pay very close attention to whether something is Street or Way, S or W. I once got lost at the corner of 47th and 47th.<br /><br />If you want to run for Council as a <a href="http://www.ala.org/ala/ourassociation/governanceb/electioninfo/instcandidates.htm">petition candidate</a>, <a href="mailto:heidi dot dolamore at gmail dot com">let me know</a> and I'll help you collect signatures.<br /><br />My <b>schedule</b> so far:<br /><br /><b>Friday, January 19</b><br />OCLC Symposium. 1:30pm-4:30pm<br /><br /><b>Saturday, January 20</b><br />Council Orientation, 8:00-10:00am<br />NMRT Midwinter Social, 6-8:30pm, <a href="http://www.elephantcastle.com/content/locations/seattle">Elephant and Castle</a><br />Blogger Salon 7:30-?, Sheraton Hotel Blue Suite<br />Council Reception, 9-10pm<br /><br /><b>Sunday, January 21</b><br />ALA Council/Executive Board/Membership Information Session, 9:00-10am<br />ALA-APA Council Information Session, 10:00-10:30am<br />ALA Council I, 10:45 a.m.-12:15pm<br />ALA President's Program, 3:30-5:30pm<br /><br /><b>Monday, January 22</b><br />ALA-APA Council, 10:15-11:15am<br />ALA Executive Board Candidates Forum, 11:30 am-12:30pm<br />Council Forum, 8-9:30pm<br /> <br /><b>Tuesday, January 23</b><br />ALA Council II, 9:15am-12:45pm<br />Council Forum, 4:30-6pm<br /><br /><b>Wednesday, January 24</b><br />ALA Council III, 8:00am-12:30pm<br /><br />I'm staying at the Mayflower Park Hotel, 4th & Olive. Best to reach me by cell phone.http://quiddle.blogspot.com/2007/01/seattlemidwinter.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Heidi Dolamore)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11346222.post-2905847943069157662Mon, 08 Jan 2007 02:59:00 +00002007-01-08T07:55:18.527-08:00Tinfoil tandem(For a companion piece to this, please go visit <a href="http://rochellejustrochelle.typepad.com/copilot/2007/01/politeness_over.html">Rochelle</a>. She and I spent some time earlier today talking about the plague of politeness in library work environments. The discussion really starts with her post, so go read that first.)<br /><br />Last month, I went to a fun class on <a href="http://infopeople.org/workshop/256">leading teams</a>. It reminded me of my management class in library school...lots of talk about the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forming-storming-norming-performing">forming-storming-norming-performing</a> model of team development. Politeness is definitely <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forming-storming-norming-performing#Forming">one of the stages</a> of forming a team, but it's an EARLY stage and you need to move beyond it to get things done. Teams may return to that stage periodically, but generally the goal is to move beyond it. And moving away from politeness doesn't necessarily mean moving towards conflict. It can also mean moving towards trust. (That's an important bit, in my opinion, so i'll say it again.) It means moving towards trust, where you feel comfortable enough to tell people what you really think, and to know that in doing so your team will give genuine consideration to your remarks.<br /><br />I recall reading <a href="http://www.som2.gmu.edu/cramton/Abstract%20mutual%20knowledge.pdf">this article</a> on teamwork in liberry school. The class was on social collaboration and technology...<a href="http://www.ece.ubc.ca/~leei/519/readings.html">very cool class</a>, but unfortunately it wasn't in the liberry school. It was electrical and computer engineering. This one really stuck with me...I underlined stuff <i>and</i> I didn't recycle it when I graduated. The article mentioned that teams that always agree with one another produce mediocre work, lowest common denominator stuff. (from one case study: "...desire for harmony in the team had interfered with scrutiny of business ideas...The whole team was never in conflict. Everyone was very polite." p362) If nobody offers criticism, if nobody says "hey, what if we changed this or did that," then nothing improves. Or worse, you get a wishy washy environment where your ability to choose between different options is limited, because once somebody's offered up an option for consideration, everyone just agrees instead of offering alternatives. When people disagree, you get qualitative debate about which idea might be better. And if you're lucky, you just might end up choosing the better idea. Of course this will lead to situations where people don't get their first choice, but hopefully the choice that is implemented is the strongest of all available options. And because you've engaged in debate, everybody understands why a particular decision was made.<br /><br />So, are we all in agreement on this?http://quiddle.blogspot.com/2007/01/tinfoil-tandem.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Heidi Dolamore)3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11346222.post-1769058494441774654Mon, 01 Jan 2007 20:32:00 +00002007-01-01T12:43:26.475-08:00Stuff you didn't know about meOkay <a href="http://librarianinblack.typepad.com/librarianinblack/2006/12/five_things_yal.html">Sarah</a>, the guilt trip worked. I've been meaning to blog more often. Really. Honest. I've just been kinda busy, and then I was sick, and then <a href="http://www.threadless.com/product/690/Homework_Evidence">the dog ate my homework</a>...<br /><br />I'm not calling this a New Year's Resolution or anything, but here's a new post for a new year.<br /><ol><br /><li>I was a mailman for a brief while. As such, I know that the proper title is letter carrier, but I prefer mailman. I have the ear flap hat and everything.</li><br /><li>I don't know how tall I am. Somewhere years back I got sick of people asking me how tall I am and I just quit measuring. Suffice it to say that I am rather tall, probably taller than you. I do have a best guess that I use for things like my driver's license. And when I'm at the doctor's office and they measure me, I tend to sing <i>la-la-la-I'm-not-listening...</i></li><br /><li>I can never remember the melody for <i>Heads, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes</i>. I use it in story time constantly, and I always just start and hope that someone else will carry the tune. It usually comes to me around the eyes and ears bit.</li><br /><li>I have a vast collection of refrigerator magnets. (Which mostly started out as gifts for my mother, but I prefer to give them to her in person, and sometimes I would forget to take them when I would visit, and then they started to pile up...)</li><br /><li>I don't own any furniture that I can't lift all by myself. Yes, even the sofa bed.</li><br /></ol><br />Let's try <a href="http://meg20.blogspot.com/">Meg</a>, <a href="http://www.librarytechtonics.info/">Andrea</a>, <a href="http://blog.myspace.com/qweerboi4u">Esteban</a>, <a href="http://harriettheelf.livejournal.com/">my neighbor</a>, and <a href="http://librarydust.typepad.com/">my pen pal</a>. I'm late to this party, so if anybody out there is still reading my blog, consider yourself tagged, too.http://quiddle.blogspot.com/2007/01/stuff-you-didnt-know-about-me.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Heidi Dolamore)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11346222.post-116232119693517204Tue, 31 Oct 2006 18:51:00 +00002006-10-31T10:59:56.963-08:00Halloween, in which Heidi completes the transformation into children's librarian.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/7210/916/1600/halloween.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/7210/916/320/halloween.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />I know several of you will be pleased at the triumphant return to blue hair. But this time I promise I used temporary dye. Really.<br /><br />(Sorry for the prolonged radio silence. Things have been busy lately. I'll be back soon.)http://quiddle.blogspot.com/2006/10/halloween-in-which-heidi-completes.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Heidi Dolamore)6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11346222.post-115138417508686853Tue, 27 Jun 2006 03:58:00 +00002006-06-27T08:07:08.500-07:00KatrinaOn Friday I met up with Beth, a librarian from <a href="http://maps.google.com/maps?q=Slidell,+LA&ie=UTF8&om=1">Slidell</a> (on the northeast side of lake Pontchartrain). She took us on a driving tour around New Orleans and showed us the community college library where she works. I had a fair bit of morbid curiosity, but I definitely got the feeling that Beth wanted to show us the damage so that we would go home and tell others. She had an amazing sense of humor about the whole thing. As we were walking through her house, which was basically just a skeleton with a roof, she pointed out that the week before the storm hit, she had just had the carpets cleaned. A neighbor had just repainted and only moved back in two days before they had to evacuate. <br /><br />We drove by a Rite-Aid with a big "OPEN FOR BUSINESS" sign. Of course, they were referring to the trailer parked in front of the building. There were FEMA trailers everywhere. They lined the yeards of suburban homes and formed little camps in the Toys R Us parking lot. Next door to the toy store, the Home Depot was thriving. If you closed one eye, you could almost overlook the damage. It was like my brain couldn't handle what it was seeing and would have been more than happy to imagine roofs where only blue tarps existed. <br /><br /><b>These photos were taken on Friday, June 23, 2007, nearly ten months after Katrina.</b> (click photo for larger image)<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/7210/916/1600/01welcome.0.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/7210/916/200/01welcome.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />Everywhere I went, I saw signs welcoming librarians.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/7210/916/1600/02frenchquarter.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/7210/916/200/02frenchquarter.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a>The French Quarter looked mostly normal, if a bit empty.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/7210/916/1600/34forlease.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/7210/916/200/34forlease.jpg" border="0" alt="for lease" /></a>There were quite a few "for lease" signs.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/7210/916/1600/50waterline.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/7210/916/200/50waterline.jpg" border="0" alt="flood water line" /></a>Elsewhere, signs of the hurricane were obvious. The flood water line runs through the house number.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/7210/916/1600/45helpdesk.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/7210/916/200/45helpdesk.jpg" border="0" alt="FEMA help desk" /></a>Still, there were signs that people could find humor in the most bleak circumstances.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/7210/916/1600/52car.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/7210/916/200/52car.jpg" border="0" alt="tree stump on car" /></a>The house across the street, well along the way towards being repaired, looks like it belongs in a different picture.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/7210/916/1600/94fematrailers.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/7210/916/200/94fematrailers.jpg" border="0" alt="FEMA trailers" /></a>FEMA trailers were everywhere.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/7210/916/1600/57delgado.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/7210/916/200/57delgado.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a>This is the library at Delgado Community College. Water rushed in through broken windows and destroyed almost everything. They saved about 1000 volumes, roughly 1/4 of the collection. The books are still in boxes because they don't have any shelves. Beth continued to amaze me with her resilience and humor. In a way, she saw the whole experience as an opportunity. When she explained how the room had been remodled, she added, "I never did like those windows in the corner." <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/7210/916/1600/61pontchartrain.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/7210/916/200/61pontchartrain.jpg" border="0" alt="pontchartrain branch" /></a>The Pontchartrain branch of the St. Tammany Library, one of two branches in Slidell. It was new and shiny last August. Next door at the Winn-Dixie grocery, repairs are complete and the parking lot looked full.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/7210/916/1600/65sidewall.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/7210/916/200/65sidewall.jpg" border="0" alt="missing wall" /></a>Around the side of the building.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/7210/916/1600/70shoppingcart.0.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/7210/916/200/70shoppingcart.jpg" border="0" alt="inside the library" /></a>There's a shopping cart from the Winn-Dixie.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/7210/916/1600/72copier.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/7210/916/200/72copier.jpg" border="0" alt="photocopier" /></a>That's a photocopier.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/7210/916/1600/90shelves.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/7210/916/200/90shelves.jpg" border="0" alt="library shelves" /></a>The children's section.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/7210/916/1600/79cliffsnotes.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/7210/916/200/79cliffsnotes.jpg" border="0" alt="cliffs notes" /></a>The Cliffs Notes and cockroaches will outlast us all. The ground is covered in sludge, muck, and mold. That's carpet you're looking at.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/7210/916/1600/83tammany.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/7210/916/200/83tammany.jpg" border="0" alt="book" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/7210/916/1600/80poster.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/7210/916/200/80poster.jpg" border="0" alt="library poster" /></a>"Discover what's inside."<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/7210/916/1600/91printer.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/7210/916/200/91printer.jpg" border="0" alt="printer" /></a>The printer is actually outside the building. The line in the background is where the wall used to be.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/7210/916/1600/88frontdoor.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/7210/916/200/88frontdoor.jpg" border="0" alt="front door" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/7210/916/1600/67moldybook.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/7210/916/200/67moldybook.jpg" border="0" alt="moldy book" /></a><br /><br />I'm still reeling from everything I saw. After our tour, Beth was on the phone with her husband and she remarked, "Yes, they were duly impressed with our devastation." <br /><br />Mine is only the account of a weekend. In <a href="http://www.chrisrosebooks.com/">1 dead in attic</a>, there are a host of post-Katrina stories by Times-Picayune columnist Chris Rose that need to be heard.<br /><br />The Gulf Coast still needs our help. <br /><br /><a href="http://nutrias.org/~nopl/foundation/katrinafoundationdonation.htm">Rebuild New Orleans Public Library</a><br /><a href="http://www.deweydonationsystem.org/">Dewey Donation System</a>, Harrison County Libraries, Mississippihttp://quiddle.blogspot.com/2006/06/katrina.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Heidi Dolamore)4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11346222.post-115117176592791323Sat, 24 Jun 2006 17:50:00 +00002006-06-24T11:03:40.493-07:00NOLAI've arrived in New Orleans and will be spending some time over at the <a href="http://plablog.org/">PLA blog</a>, along with a host of other conference bloggers.<br /><br />Yesterday I met up with <a href="http://www.newrambler.net/lisdom/">Laura</a> and Beth, a librarian from Slidell (across Lake Pontchartrain from New Orleans). Beth took us on a driving tour of some flood-damaged libraries and led us to some tasty gumbo. After everything that I saw yesterday, I am duly impressed with how good the city looks. I'm sure it would be possible to spend a few days downtown and not notice much out of the ordinary. On the shuttle to the conference this morning, the folks behind me were lamenting that not much had been done to beautify the area around the convention center. I turned around and suggested that what they saw <i>was</i> the result of rather extensive beautification efforts.http://quiddle.blogspot.com/2006/06/nola.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Heidi Dolamore)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11346222.post-114989859737439565Fri, 09 Jun 2006 23:45:00 +00002006-06-11T10:42:52.046-07:00Developing a children's collectionThis week, another new youth librarian and I got to meet with the children's books selector for a little collection development training. I put a big dent in my list of questions and came away with a much better understanding of policies and procedures, but I also got homework. Homework! And I thought I was done with all that...<br /><br />For our next meeting, I'm to bring books that are important to me...books that I rely on, refer to, and frequently recommend. I'm supposed to select 10 each from the picture books, easy readers, and toddler collections. Not a bad little assignment, but I hope we meet at my branch, that's an awful lot to carry.<br /><br />But that's not all. I'm supposed to read my way through everything in Anita Silvey's <a href="http://www.houghtonmifflinbooks.com/booksellers/press_release/100best/#100best"><i>100 Best Books for Children</i></a>. Which isn't too bad, considering I've already read about half of the titles. Some of them I haven't read since I was a kid, some I've read over and over. Some I read for school, and of those, there are some that I fiercely disliked. Others were given to me as gifts when I was young, things a grownup thought I should read (and didn't).<br /><br />We started our chat with a pop quiz: What do you think makes a good children's collection? From there, we worked our way through the cycle of collection development, and more specifically how it is approached at MPOW. Our collections guru broke it down like this:<br /><br />Adding<br />Weeding<br />Displaying<br />Recommending<br />Knowing<br /><br />I gotta admit, that's as nice as any summary I've seen, and certainly easier to remember than anything in a library textbook.http://quiddle.blogspot.com/2006/06/developing-childrens-collection.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Heidi Dolamore)5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11346222.post-114988827132382286Fri, 09 Jun 2006 20:04:00 +00002006-06-09T14:24:31.403-07:00New Orleans scheduleThis is all the stuff that I should/have to/really really want to attend. If you know of something nifty that I missed or want to meet up for a meal, <a href="mailto:heidi dot dolamore at gmail dot com">let me know</a>. <br /><br />Oh, and if you hear about a program called, "Heidi, here is a step by step guide on how to rennovate the children's section on a modest budget so that you gain shelf space and display areas without making the room feel crowded because it's already too small as it is," I definitely want to go.<br /><br /><b>FRIDAY</b><br /><br />7:30-8:30pm / NMRT meet and greet - NMRT hotel Pere Marquette<br /><br /><b>SATURDAY</b><br /><br />8:30-10:30am / Council orientation - La Nouvelle ballroom<br /><br />10:30am-noon / YALSA all committee meeting - Hilton ballroom B<br /><br />3:00-4:00pm / LIS education forum on jobs - SRRT booth #3450<br /><br />4:00-5:00pm / ALA membership meeting - La Nouvelle ballroom<br /><br />5:30-7:00pm / Opening session - Hall F, follow the crowd<br /><br />10:30pm-midnight / Blogger party - Hilton Riverside #2706<br /><br /><b>SUNDAY</b><br /><br />10:45am-12:15pm / ALA Council I - La Nouvelle ballroom <i>(I'm just observing, my term doesn't start until Midwinter.)</i><br /><br />1:30-3:30pm / YALSA gaming discussion group - Hilton Riverside, Chequers 3rd fl<br />1:30-3:30pm / NMRT all committee - Sheraton Napoleon BR C1/C2<br /><i>(I don't know what to do about this one...the hotels aren't even close.)</i><br /><br />6:30-7:30 / NMRT student reception - Sheraton Napoleon BR B3<br /><br />7:30-11:30 / NMRT social - Sheraton Grand BR C <i>(Or one of the many other socials...)</i><br /><br /><b>MONDAY</b><br /><br />early / Breakfast, anyone?<br /><br />noonish / go homehttp://quiddle.blogspot.com/2006/06/new-orleans-schedule.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Heidi Dolamore)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11346222.post-114961435114693976Tue, 06 Jun 2006 16:55:00 +00002006-06-06T10:19:11.426-07:00I voted today<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/7210/916/1600/vote.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/7210/916/320/vote.jpg" border="0" alt="my very first 'i voted today' sticker" /></a><br />This is the first time I've voted anywhere other than Oregon, and it's actually the first time I've voted at a polling place. The first few years I voted absentee. By the time I moved back home, Oregon was exclusively <a href="http://www.co.multnomah.or.us/dbcs/elections/election_information/voting_in_oregon.shtml">vote by mail</a>.<br /><br />I couldn't wait to get my "I voted today" sticker. The one I got says "I voted touchscreen," but that's close enough. The whole thing felt a bit like a video game...I followed a bunch of arrows to arrive at my destination, and all the important stuff happened on a video screen.<br /><br />To make things even more exciting, I got to vote on a <a href="http://www.smartvoter.org/2006/06/06/ca/state/prop/81/">statewide bond measure for public libraries</a>. It almost feels like I'm waiting to get a report card from millions of people.http://quiddle.blogspot.com/2006/06/i-voted-today.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Heidi Dolamore)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11346222.post-114945312597704835Sun, 04 Jun 2006 18:17:00 +00002006-06-04T13:32:55.863-07:00Diary of a patronI'm a bad patron.<br /><br />I drop books all the time. I'm not talking about a little tumble. I mean spine-breaking, jacket crumpling drops. (I would never treat my own books like this. But c'mon, they're library books.) I often eat while I read, and I tend to dribble or get crumbs all over the page.<br /><br />And yesterday, when I went up to the information desk to ask for help, I didn't even come close to asking a question that truly indicated what I wanted to find out. I wasn't playing secret shopper, I genuinely had a question that needed answering, and I couldn't answer it myself.<br /><br />Well, that's not entirely true. I tried to answer it myself. I knew exactly where to find the information, and frankly, I would have preferred to figure it out on my own. All I needed to do was check a particular website.<br /><br />So, I walked up to the information desk and asked for a guest internet login. The person I spoke with got flustered, and explained that they don't do that. They can generate a temporary login, but only if someone is having trouble using their card. I explained that I just moved here and am actually elligible for a card, but I don't have anything with my address yet, so I can't get a card. She suggested I go ask someone at another desk and maybe they would give me a login. As I was walking away, she started to explain what I should say at the next desk, but it was so confusing that I couldn't quite follow her.<br /><br />Desk number two. I ask again, with the same story. I briefly considered lying, but that was just too much effort. This time I get a lengthy explanation of library policy. Which under normal circumstances I would find fascinating, but right now all I really wanted was about three minutes of internet time. I was already grumpy because I had a hard time figuring out the stairs and elevators to even reach the floor with the books and computers. Now I was being lectured about how tourists and homeless people were sitting at the computers all day so that regular people couldn't use them. Because I was feeling ornery, I pointed out that homless people are regular people, too. (Nevermind that tourists are a huge source of revenue for the city, and it's probably in the library's best interest to be nice to them.) Again, I was told to try asking someone else, although this time I received no coaching on what to say. Number three said, "Don't ask me, I'm not going to contravene the rules. Go ask somebody else."<br /><br />Sigh.<br /><br />I'm very good at following directions, so I in fact do ask somebody else. Second verse, same as the first. Only this time, she mentions that there are guest computers on every floor that don't require a login and points me in the right direction. Unfortunately, there are only two guest computers and a bit of a lineup. At this point, I'm so discouraged that I have to go call a friend. Yes, I used my cell phone in the library. I felt very naughty. <br /><br />So I called a friend and told him how the library made me sad. Usually he's good for a pep talk, but he had his own sad library story that day. He was at the coast and wanted to know if it was legal to build a fire on the beach. So he called the local library and asked. The answer? "Umm, I don't know. You could try calling city hall, but it's Saturday, so they're closed." In the end, all he got was, "Well, I think it's probably okay."<br /><br />It never even occured to me that I could ask someone to check the website for me. Since I'd exhausted all other possibilities, I returned to the information desk. I made sure to find somebody new since I didn't want to talk to any of the mean people again.<br /><br />Here's what I wanted to find out: I'm apartment hunting, and I found a place I like. I want to know what my commute would be. So, traveling by public transit, what time would I have to leave home if I wanted to be at work by 9:30am? The Caltrain is only a few blocks from the library, and I know there's a train that arrives at 9:13. I can catch the #47 bus to the train station. What time would I have to catch the bus to make my connection? There's a <a href="http://transit.511.org/tripplanner/index.asp">nifty trip planning website</a> that will tell me exactly what I need to know. I've looked it up before, I just need a little reminder. I suppose I could even ride my bike to the train station if that would be faster.<br /><br />Here's what I actually asked: How long does it take to get from San Francisco to San Carlos by bus?<br /><br />I was greeted by the sharp intake of breath and mild look of shock that instantly signals to me that this person is not familiar with public transit. I do not own a car and thus assume that all things are possible on public transit. Most car owners believe precisely the opposite.<br /><br />She shakes her head for a bit and asks the person sitting next to her. I learn that it is about a half hour drive. Not particularly helpful. She then guesses a travel time of about an hour. Although this does (somewhat unreliably) answer my initial question, I am feeling grumpy because it's not actually what I want to know. I try again, and my second question hits a bit closer to the mark. "What time would I have to catch the bus?"<br /><br />Let me assure you that none of this subterfuge is on purpose. I am just being incompetent.<br /><br />She manages to find the <a href="http://www.511.org">parent site</a> of the trip planner, and I point out the appropriate link. I then give her the exact departure location, arrival time, etc, and finally get my answer.<br /><br />Still undaunted, I decide to go look at a San Francisco guide book to read about the neighborhoods. I go to one of the catalog computers and type <i>san francisco guide books</i>, hoping to find out what floor the travel books are on. The first five results are:<br /><ul><li>The San Francisco Bay Area Jobbank</li><br /><li>The Chowhound's Guide to the San Francisco Bay Area</li><br /><li>Wild Ireland: A Traveller's Guide</li><br /><li>Awakening Your Sexuality a Guide for Recovering Women</li><br /><li>Inside the Music</li></ul><br />Well, at least the Chowhound should be in the right section. I click on the title, but it's an ebook, so no hints about which floor I want. At this point, I remember that I am a librarian, and I know I want the 917s. So I look around for signs and get even more confused. Eventually I find the right section, if only by accident. One book has a "San Francisco top ten" list at the front, with the library listed as number one. I can't help but wonder if that's why the library bought the book. Another book suggests the library or the <a href="http://www.apple.com/retail/">Apple store</a> if you need to check your email. I guess they don't know about the library's tourist policy.<br /><br />On the way out the door, I got stopped by a uniformed guard because I beeped going through the sensor. Well, again, not entirely true. Actually, some random good samaritan decided to help the uniformed guy by yelling at me until I turned around and came back. I knew I would beep on the way out because I had beeped on the way in. I had books from another library, things I had checked out to myself and not bothered to desensitize because I exit through the staff door -- no sensor. I wasn't the only person to get stopped. Everyone who walked through at the same time had to open their bags for our accuser. It wasn't enough to explain what had happened, I had to turn over the offending books and walk through the beeper again.<br /><br />Honestly, I never want to go back. I got to thinking about what the book said about the Apple store, and I think I might head there next time I'm downtown and need a quick email fix. No login, no time limit. Hmm...<br /><br />Indulge me as I ask another dumb question: What if we didn't make people login?<br /><br />I know, I know, there's about ten zillion reasons not to. Try to push past the "but we could NEVER do THAT" reflex. Is time management software really there to create a better user experience, or is it there to make things easier for libraries? Are we really meeting demand, or are we just managing it by imposing a bunch of restrictions? What if we started from a different place? What if the goal were no user login? What would that look like? Hmm...http://quiddle.blogspot.com/2006/06/diary-of-patron.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Heidi Dolamore)2